Tensions have been simmering over several months between Muslims and the government, with thousands holding demonstrations in protest at the government’s alleged interference in religious affairs; the government has blamed the protests on a small group of extremists.

The Muslim leaders and others, should be immediately released unless the government can produce credible evidence of unlawful activity. The fact that many of the detainees have been in detention for over three months without charge does raise questions about the existence of such evidence.”

What sparked the protests?

The leaders of the protests, which began in December 2011, accuse the Ethiopian government of trying to impose the al-Ahbash Islamic sect on the country’s Muslim community, which traditionally practises the Sufi form of Islam. Al-Ahbash beliefs are an interpretation of Islam combining elements of Sunni Islam and Sufism; its teachings are popular in Lebanon. Said to be first taught by Ethiopian scholar Abdullah al-Harari, the Ethiopian Al-Ahbash teachings are moderate, advocating Islamic pluralism, while opposing political activism.

In December 2011, the state moved to dismiss the administration of the Awoliya religious school in Addis Ababa. In July, police dispersed an overnight meeting at the school on the eve of an African Union heads of state summit, and arrested several protesters and organizers of the meeting, which police officials said did not have a permit.

Those behind the meeting, an “Arbitration Committee” of 17 led by prominent religious scholars, said they wanted to dialogue with the government but insisted they would continue legitimate protests to oppose its continued interference in the administration of the religious school and the election of members of the country’s supreme Islamic Council.

They accuse the government of dictating elections to the council, which concluded on 5 November, and favour the Al-Ahbash Muslim sect.

Temam Ababulga, a lawyer representing activists who led the protests – some of them are currently behind bars – says they are appealing to a federal court to cancel the election and its outcome, on the grounds that the elections were not conducted in accordance with the council’s by-laws.

“The opposition to Ahbash at this time is not theological… the protesters oppose… that the regime is sponsoring the movement, providing finance, logistical support and allowing it to use both the Islamic Council and the state institution in its proselytization,” said Jawar Mohammed, an Ethiopian analyst now studying at Columbia University in the USA.

“Ahbash has been in Ethiopia since the 1990s and has peacefully coexisted with the rest of Islamic revival movements,” he added. “The confrontation came only after the government invited the leading figures from Lebanon and started aggressive re-indoctrination campaign.”

What is the government’s response?

The government denies that it is violating the country’s constitution by meddling in religious affairs. Addressing parliament on 16 October, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said: “The government is not and would not interfere in the affairs of any religion in the country.”

At the height of the protests in mid-April, then Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who died in August, told parliament that “a few extremists are working to erode the age-old tradition of tolerance between traditional Sufi Muslims and Christians in Ethiopia,” and stressed that they would not be tolerated by the government.

“The government… has made a number of efforts to encourage engagement with the protesters and has, for example, also done all it can to support the matter of elections for the Islamic Council,” said a statement by the government in response to Amnesty International’s allegations.

The Muslim leaders and others, should be immediately released unless the government can produce credible evidence of unlawful activity. The fact that many of the detainees have been in detention for over three months without charge does raise questions about the existence of such evidence”It is true that some members of a `protesters committee’ have been arrested following violent protests, but it is completely misleading to suggest that this `committee’ had been `chosen to represent the Muslim community’s grievances to the government’. This `committee’ was not chosen nor elected by anyone… It was, in sum, a small, self-appointed committee of protesters whose support in the community at large, as the recent election clearly demonstrated, was minimal.”

Increasing Islamic militancy in the region – Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania have all witnessed increased Islamist activity – is of concern to the Ethiopian authorities, who say they are facing growing threats evident from the discovery of the first Al-Qaeda cell in the country; 11 people have been in an on-going trial, suspected of being members of an Al-Qaeda cell and accused of planning terrorist attacks.

What are rights groups saying?

The USA has added its voice to accusations that Ethiopia has been interfering in the religious affairs of its Islamic population and wrongfully arresting people. Addis Ababa has on several occasions rejected these charges.

“Since July 2011, the Ethiopian government has sought to force a change in the sect of Islam practiced nationwide and has punished clergy and laity who have resisted,” an 8 November press statement by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom – a bipartisan federal government body – said. “Muslims throughout Ethiopia have been arrested during peaceful protests.”

Amnesty International has also accused the Ethiopian authorities of “committing human rights violations in response to the ongoing Muslim protest movement in the country”. The organization said the police was using “excessive force” against peaceful demonstrators.

Human Rights Watch says it is deeply concerned that Ethiopia’s government has repeatedly used terrorism-related prosecutions to clamp down on lawful freedom of speech and assembly.

“Many of these trials have been politically motivated and marred by serious due process violations,” Laetitia Bader, a Human Rights Watch researcher on Ethiopia, told IRIN via email. “The Muslim leaders and others, should be immediately released unless the government can produce credible evidence of unlawful activity. The fact that many of the detainees have been in detention for over three months without charge does raise questions about the existence of such evidence.”

Rights groups also say journalists covering the protests are being increasingly harassed. In October, police briefly detained Marthe Van Der Wolf, a reporter with the Voice of America as she was covering one of the protests at the Anwar Mosque, and according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), told to erase her recorded interviews.

“Ethiopian authorities should halt their harassment of journalists covering the country’s Muslim community and their intimidation of citizens who have tried to speak to reporters about sensitive religious, ethnic, and political issues,” CPJ said in an October statement.

The government denies violently suppressing the protests, and says “one or two of the protests were extremely violent (with police killed).”

Dozens of protesters are behind bars Activists and rights groups are concerned about references to “terrorism” in the charges. “The charges contain similar allegations used to prosecute dissident journalists and opposition leaders in the past few years… the leaders of the Muslim protest are just the latest victims of the regime’s war against dissenting voices,” said Jawar Mohammed.

“In fact, many of the Muslim scholars and spiritual leaders being accused of such conspiracy to create an Islamic state have written and publicly spoken advocating against any form of extremism, emphasizing that Ethiopia is a multi-faith country where secular state is indispensable for co-existence,” he added. “The irony is that these Muslim leaders, many of them, are followers of the Sufi tradition and have a proven track record of actively fighting against infiltration of the community by extremist elements.”

What is the extent of the protests and violence?

The demonstrations have continued for close to a year, and show no signs of abating. During Eid Al Adha celebrations in late October, tens of thousands of Muslims took to the streets to celebrate the holiday; after the prayers, they staged protests. “We have nothing to kill for… but we have Islam to die for,” read some of the protesters’ banners.

The arrest of an Imam in the Oromia region back in April led to clashes that left four dead, while the country’s federal police clashed with protesters at Addis Ababa’s Grand Anwar mosque on 21 July.

In October, in the Amhara Region, three civilians and one police officer were killed when protesters stormed a police station where a religious leader was jailed, said Communication Affairs State Minister Shimeles Kemal. On 29 October, federal prosecutors charged the jailed activists and others with terrorism; a group of 29 people are accused of aiming to establish an Islamic state, undermining the country’s secular constitution.

How might resentments play out?

In a report released shortly after Meles’s death, the think tank International Crisis Group warned that the new government would find it difficult to deal with grievances in the absence of “any meaningful domestic political opposition”.

“Resentments would likely continue to be turned into ethnic and religious channels, thus undermining stability and, in the worst case of civil war, even survival of a multi-ethnic, multi-faith state,” the authors said.

I don’t know how else to approach you in order to explain my reasoning behind my life changing decision and have you listen and understand at the same time.

Since I can long remember I have not be a strong believer of Christianity, there was a lot that did not make sense to me, for example, why I have to beg for forgiveness to a priest? Why I have to pray to saints and not straight to God, why is Jesus the SON of God, why are their SOO many versions of the bible?

The religion became a fascination to me, and I truly wanted to know more. I purchased a few books in the UK and read some pamphlets on the religion. I did not make any decisions but I continued to read and become more familiar to Islam.

Islam began making sense to me, the idea that we pray only to Allah, that we ask Allah for help and for forgive us, how a book (the Quran) that was written thousands of years ago remains unchanged as of today (there are different translations but no different versions) . Also how a book that was written years ago managed to explain scientific situations that was only discovered by man kind only a couple of year ago. Or how the Quran has managed to explains how babies develop in the womb? How would anyone thousands of years ago know this and in such detail? Especially since scientist discovered the explanation of these situations less that 100 years ago?? How can we explain those wonders of the book?

Also how can I deny the holy book when it has been so clear in explaining advanced technology, how the day turns into the night, the creation of human beings by water (as we know scientifically to be known that we came from cells) layers of heaven (which we describe now in scientific terms as the atmospheric levels?). Furthermore, the beginning of the universe and the movement of tectonic plates (there are numerous other examples of the science behind the Quran).

What also has touched me is that Islam believes in ALL THE PROPHETS – JESUS MOSES DAVID ABRAHAM AND MOHAMMAD (pbuh) they all coexist in he Quran, the Quran also tells us that we must respect ALL religions. Mami and Papi, I can not explain how many times I have made my self clear to you of what I believed in, I could not have given myself away anymore! Every time I spoke hours and hours on end about Islam, and how I knew so much.

Also I began of interacting more with Muslim friends; I felt that they would be able to give me a clear explanation of Islam. Also Islam played a major part in self respect, and it helped my appreciate my self more, and realize that I should stay away from harmful situation such as drinking, smoking, going out with people that only meant trouble. I told you what my friends were like, they were heading the wrong direction, and I did not want to be in that direction and believing in Islam made it easier for me to walk away from the powers of shaytaan and do better.

Also Islam was and has been the reason for my success in school. I have placed my mind in my studies instead of going out all the time as my old friends did, and trust me you would not like me to be like them, because if I had been than you would have every single reason to think I was a bad person, that I was irresponsible and that I was a disgrace to the family.

After almost one year of studying Islam I had no doubt in my mind that it was not the right religion.

I was prepared to become a Sunni Muslim. In early June 2006 I attended the mosque in Westbury NY to ask further questions about Islam and after speaking to a sister and the imam of the mosque I knew that it was time to make the right decision. I did shahada around 2 weeks later which is the Islamic creed; it means to testify or to bear witness in Arabic, the declaration of the belief. I stated in front of 80- 100 Muslims “ash hadu anla ilaha illallah, wa ash hadu anla Mohammad roosul Allah” which translates to “I believe in one and only God and Mohammad is his messenger” It was such a beautiful experience.

I had been accepted into the Islam. I was welcomed by every single Muslim at the mosque with open arms, I felt too special, it felt so right, I knew I had made the best decision in my life, and it was something that was going to bring positive sides of me. It is so hard to explain the rush, and the emotional and faith satisfaction that I had at that moment, but I knew there was something wrong, that I was not able to celebrate my happiness with the people in my life that I loved the most, the meant to most to me, and that was you and papi. The moment was wonderful but not complete. I really wish you could have been as proud of me as I was for myself.

It hurt so much to think and feel that my biggest challenge would be to openly tell you about me and Islam, about me and my faith, about me and my happiness. I know that you both want the best for me, you want me to be happy and you want me to be responsible, and you want me to be independent and make the RIGHT decisions. I have done the right decision, and I made it all by myself, and I read about Islam all by myself, I discovered Islam in me all by myself, IT WAS ME who made every decision from the point were I began in the Islamic interest to the point where I am now.

I can’t lie to you and tell you I had no influences because how else would I have been influenced by wanting to know more about Islam? Well from observing other people. How do we know as humans whether eating a chocolate cake taste good or not? We taste it, we try others to compare and then we make a final decision and if we like it we continue to eat if we don’t then we disregard it.

Mami and Papi, I know I might seem weak sometimes in certain situations, and I know I display signs of vulnerability , but converting into Islam was decided by me, its hard and it hurts to think that all this studying, research of Islam and me converting has been credited to someone else, but at the end of the day the only one that knows the truth is God and it is to him that I will be standing in front of on the day of Judgment, and it is him that knows everything.

It is stated in the Quran that all the prophets were messengers of God, they all came to spread the news and religion of God, but that they all came in their own time, and that Mohammad (pbuh) was the last messenger of God.

I know my word is hard to believe after the incidents these past two days, but there is nothing more that I can do to prove to both of you when it comes to the decisions that I made about Islam.

And most importantly I want you both to understand that it is virtually impossible to explain ALL of my reasoning behind my belief in Islam, this email is not even 1/100th of it all, I have spent hours and hours and hours speaking to others about my feeling towards Islam, and I wish and pray to Allah that one day I will be able to express everything I feel about Islam with both of you.

I still remain to be the daughter that you had almost 21 years ago, it has not changed the way I feel about you, you still are the most important people in my life, I love you both more than anything, I just have a different belief and its one which will bring you no shame, it will not physically hurt you, and I will not patronize our relationship.

I love you both very much and I only pray for the best, Carolina Amirah DeFonseca

ንጉስ ነጃሽ (አስሃማ)

……From Negus Ashama to Muhammad, the Messenger of Allâh. Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allâh! and mercy and blessing from Allâh beside Whom there is no god. I have received your letter in which you have mentioned about Jesus and by the Lord of heaven and earth, Jesus is not more than what you say……….

Negus, king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia), his name was Ashama bin Al-Abjar, received the Prophet’s message, dispatched by Amr bin Omaiyah Ad-Damari, which At-Tabari referred to, either late in the sixth year or early in the seventh year A.H. Deep scrutiny into the letter shows that it was not the one sent after Al-Hudaibiyah event. Wording of the letter rather indicates that it was sent to that king when Ja‘far and his companions emigrated to Abyssinia (Ethiopia) during the Makkan period. One of its sentences read

“I have despatched my cousin, Ja‘far (may Allâh be pleased wth him) with a group of Muslims, to you. Do be generous towards them and give up haughtiness.”

Al-Baihaqi, on the authority of Ibn Ishaq, gave the following narration of the Prophet’s letter sent to Negus:

“This letter is sent from Muhammad, the Prophet to Negus Al-Ashama, the king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia).

Peace be upon him who follows true guidance and believes in Allâh and His Messenger. I bear witness that there is no god but Allâh Alone with no associate, He has taken neither a wife nor a son, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. I call you unto the fold of Islam; if you embrace Islam, you will find safety,

“Say (O Muhammad ): ‘O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but Allâh, and that we associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allâh.’ Then, if they turn away, say: ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims.’ ” [The Noble Qur’an 3:64]
Should you reject this invitation, then you will be held responsible for all the evils of the Christians of your people.”

Dr. Hameedullah (Paris), a reliable verifier, has adduced a version of the above letter disclosed only a short time ago and identical to Ibn Al-Qaiyim’s narration. Dr. Hameedullah exerted painstaking effort and used all means of modern technology to verify the text of the letter, which reads as follows:

“In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

From Muhammad the Messenger of Allâh to Negus, king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia). Peace be upon him who follows true guidance. Salutations, I entertain Allâh’s praise, there is no god but He, the Sovereign, the Holy, the Source of peace, the Giver of peace, the Guardian of faith, the Preserver of safety. I bear witness that Jesus, the son of Mary, is the spirit of Allâh and His Word which He cast into Mary, the virgin, the good, the pure, so that she conceived Jesus. Allâh created him from His spirit and His breathing as He created Adam by His Hand. I call you to Allâh Alone with no associate and to His obedience and to follow me and to believe in that which came to me, for I am the Messenger of Allâh. I invite you and your men to Allâh, the Glorious, the All-Mighty. I hereby bear witness that I have communicated my message and advice. I invite you to listen and accept my advice. Peace be upon him who follows true guidance.”[Za’d Al-Ma’ad 3/60]

When ‘Amr bin Omaiyah Ad-Damari communicated the Apostolic letter to Negus, the latter took the parchment and placed it on his eye, descended to the floor, confessed his faith in Islam and wrote the following reply to the Prophet :

“In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

From Negus Ashama to Muhammad, the Messenger of Allâh. Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allâh! and mercy and blessing from Allâh beside Whom there is no god. I have received your letter in which you have mentioned about Jesus and by the Lord of heaven and earth, Jesus is not more than what you say. We fully acknowledge that with which you have been sent to us and we have entertained your cousin and his companions. I bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allâh, true and confirming (those who have gone before you), I pledge to you through your cousin and surrender myself through him to the Lord of the worlds.”[Za’d Al-Ma’ad 3/61

When ‘Amr bin Omaiyah Ad-Damari communicated the Apostolic letter to Negus, the latter took the parchment and placed it on his eye, descended to the floor, confessed his faith in Islam and wrote the following reply to the Prophet :

“In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
From Negus Ashama to Muhammad, the Messenger of Allâh. Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allâh! and mercy and blessing from Allâh beside Whom there is no god. I have received your letter in which you have mentioned about Jesus and by the Lord of heaven and earth, Jesus is not more than what you say. We fully acknowledge that with which you have been sent to us and we have entertained your cousin and his companions. I bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allâh, true and confirming (those who have gone before you), I pledge to you through your cousin and surrender myself through him to the Lord of the worlds.”[Za’d Al-Ma’ad 3/61]

The Prophet [pbuh] had asked Negus to send Ja‘far and his companions, the emigrants to Abyssinia (Ethiopia), back home. They came back to see the Prophet [pbuh] in Khaibar. Negus later died in Rajab 9 A.H. shortly after Tabuk Ghazwa. The Prophet announced his death and observed prayer in absentia for him. Another king succeeded Negus to the throne and another letter was sent to him by the Prophet but whether or not he embraced Islam is still a question not answered yet. [Sahih Muslim 2/99]

Islamophobia in Ethiopia:

After collapse of ADAL, Kingdom of Abyssinia put pressure to Muslim and forced many of them to return to Christianity. The kingdom did not allow the Muslims to practice their religion in public, where prayers were performed in-house only. Muslims were not allowed officially to travel to Makka to perform Hajj until 1974, after military coup led by Migusto Haile Mariam. Mariam ordered freedom of religion and allowed Muslims to perform Hajj. Muslims in Eritrea were under similar condition.
Today, more than half of Ethiopians are devout Muslims, mainly in the outlying regions, and in the Eastern Lowlands.
Traditionally, the status of Islam has been far from equal with that of Christianity. However, the emperor Haile Selassie gave audiences to Muslim leaders and made overtures in response to their concerns, and under the Derg even more was done to give at least symbolic parity to the two faiths. Nevertheless, the perception of Ethiopia as “an island of Christianity in a sea of Islam” has continued to prevail among both highland Ethiopians and foreigners.
In 1964, Ethiopian Christian leaders attacked Somalia in a plan to end the Islamic presence in the region. At that time, Somalia was only four years old without proper military and government institutions. But overall this, Somalis defend their country very bravely and forced Ethiopia to retrieve. This was the first religious war between Ethiopia and Somalia.
In 1977, Somalis retaliates and occupied 60% of Ethiopian land and even gone close to Addis Ababa in 18 kilometers. The objective of Somalis was to return the Reserve Area illegally sold by British to Ethiopia. Ethiopia was unable to stop the Somalis. And as usually, Ethiopia pleaded to international support, and received military support of Russia and Cuba. Russia-Cuba Alliance forced the Somali military to go back into Somalia border.

In 2006, Ethiopian invaded Somalia on the bases of similar background. Ethiopia always considers the Somali Islamist as #1 enemy. Ethiopia saw the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), as the new threat to their national unity; Ethiopian Prime Minister Melese Zanawi follows the old procedure of the church, who considers the Muslims as major enemy of Ethiopia. Zanawi is man of principle but the unfortunate is those supporting Zanawi and Church Plan in Somalia like Transitional Government of Somalia (TGS) leader Abdullah Yusuf.
In similar manner Oromo is facing insult and pressure from Ethiopian government, where they don´t get proper share in the government and even their children are not allowed to attend the universities in Addis Ababa.
Melese Sanawi selected Christian man from Oromo to be Ethiopian President. He overlooked the Muslim majority of Oromo, because, simply, he does not want Muslim. This shows that Ethiopian government is not killing all Oromo but only the Muslims because of their believe in the Greater Islam.
Oromo is the largest community in Ethiopia in middle of lowlands, 90% of Oromo practice Islam as fundamental religion, Islam was introduced to Oromo in 16th century with neighboring Somali Community. Oromo has anti-Ethiopian armed movements and recently accused receiving military support and training from Eritrea. Current President of Ethiopia is from Christian Minority of Oromo, where Muslims has little access to government due to their armed struggle.

Islam vs. Ethiopian Emperors:
The battle between the Muslim leaders and Ethiopian emperors is active until today, because the Ethiopian invasion in Somalia has strong roots into the centuries old conflict between the Muslims and Ethiopian Christian emperor.
Ahmed Guray freed many parts of Ethiopia from the emperors who restricted the freedom of the people; the parties that ADAL army captured include Shewa, Gonder, Wollo and parts of Tigray. Some historians say the struggle between the Christian Emperors in Ethiopia and Somalis started from 1528 until today.

Emporer Lebna Dengel, who was ruling Abyssinia during the war with ADAL, plead for support from Portugal after his army failed to stop ADAL army. In the same manner, United States of America (USA) is helping Meleze Sanawi to stop the Islamist growing in the region. Ethiopia knows, if Muslim government comes to power in Somalia then it will come to ethiopia to free the thousands of the Muslim ethiopians trapped under Melese regime.
The government don´t allow construction of new mosques in the capital, Addis Ababa. In other hand, the European Christian missionaries builds new church every one month. Church bells are famous in Addis Ababa more than the Mosques.
The present mosques in Addis Ababa are centuries old; it is remainings of Othman Emporers. The Muslims don´t take part in the central government, and if any Muslim gets chance in the central government, he/she should be lapdog for Ethiopian Christian Emporer Meleze Sanawi. Muslims in Addis Ababa feel overtaken and always seek help from the Muslim world, but the failure of Somalia has led them into endless problems.